Formal objection to housing plans
● MIKE Amesbury MP has lodged a formal objection with Halton Council over plans that could pave the way for a swathe of Green Belt near Moore and Daresbury to be given up for housing.
The MP for Weaver Vale MP wrote to the local authority shortly following publication of its Delivery And Allocations Local Plan.
In his letter, he raised issues around taking Moore and Daresbury out of the Green Belt, with a view to paving the way for massive housebuilding projects – particularly up to 1,500 properties in Moore.
In his letter to David Parr, Halton Council chief executive, Mr Amesbury said: “I am opposed to building on the Green Belt as a rule, unless exceptional circumstances can be proven, and I believe that removing Green Belt protections from these areas of my constituency will fundamentally change the nature of these areas, paving the way for large scale construction projects.
“One example of this is mention of 1,500 new properties being constructed in Moore.
“While I am aware of the need for affordable – and I stress the word ‘affordable’ – housing to tackle the current national housing crisis, I believe construction on this scale would constitute an overdevelopment and alter its character forever.
“In fact, Moore would quadruple in size – there are currently around only 390 in the village.
“I also do not believe there is sufficient infrastructure in place to support such large scale developments.”